It hopes that its three-month stay in Habbo Hotel – a virtual community for children – will allow it to reach out to a new audience. The charity will host events and activities on the website aimed at getting young people involved in its anti-bullying campaign. Other organisations – such as the anti-drugs charity Frank also have a presence in Habbo.

Habbo Hotel UK now attracts 750,000 unique users each month, aged 11-18. There are localised Habbo communities in 29 countries. The company behind Habbo said that as of December 2006 more than 66 million Habbos have been created around the world.

“It is imperative that we talk to teenagers in their own environment, much of which is online,” said Emily Knee, NSPCC’s digital project manager.

She hopes the partnership with Habbo will drive traffic to the NSPCC website, as well as encouraging users to take part in polls and design an anti-bullying themed room. In May, the charity plans to visit the hotel again to highlight its campaign against child abuse.